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How to kill a small-group discussion

Walking With Giants Posted on by

Questions – and the discussions they can stimulate – are the life-blood of small-group Bible study.

However, not all questions are equal, and some can actually bring a discussion to a full stop.

Melissa Kruger cautions against the following types of question:-

1. Captain obvious.  While it can be helpful to prompt people to notice what’s actually there in the Bible text, some observation questions are simply inviting people to state the blindingly obvious.  So, suggests Kruger:-

Instead of asking, “Who are the three people Paul interacted with in the city of Philippi in Acts 16?” (limited answer: Lydia, a slave girl, and a jailer), it’ll garner more discussion to ask, “Describe the three people Paul interacted with in the city of Philippi. What does the text us about their jobs, nationalities, and positions in society? Do you notice anything significant about their similarities or differences?”

2. One-Word Wonders.  If the question prompts a one-word answer (“Yes”, “No”, “God”, “Jesus”, “Right”, “Wrong”), then it’s probably best to re-frame it.  So,

Instead of asking, “Are there people in your life that you consider beyond hope for coming to faith?” (limited answer: yes or no), perhaps ask, “What type of people do we often think might not be receptive to the good news? How does having that mindset affect your interactions?”

3. Mission Impossible.  Be careful before you ask questions that no-one can answer.  Although not mentioned specifically by Kruger, the danger may be that you have done some home-work on the text, and your question then inadvertently becomes a test of whether the others in the group know (or can guess) what’s inside your head.  Kruger gives the following example:-

While studying Acts 16 you may hear the crickets chirping when you ask, “What was the culture like in the city of Philippi?” Most people aren’t familiar with first-century Roman culture, and they probably can’t find the city of Philippi on a map. You’ll invite a more interesting discussion if you go ahead and describe the cultural distinctions of Philippi and then ask, “In what ways is their culture similar or different than ours?”

4. Too Much (Personal) Information.  While it’s good to encourage people to be open with one another, care has to be taken with questions that force vulnerability when people aren’t ready for it.  As Kruger puts it:-

Asking a question like, “Where are you struggling with sexual sin like David?” might lead to awkward silence or even more awkwardly, too many words (that can never be unheard).

Better, perhaps, to tackle such a sensitive subject a little less personally:-

“In the church today, many are struggling with sexual temptation. What practices and habits can we put into place to help us to fight temptation?”

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